Research on assessment of hollow slab bridge hinge joint damage and reinforcement method based on steel strip-tie rod clamping

Hinge joints in hollow slabs play a pivotal role in achieving effective lateral force coordination within structural systems. The detrimental impact of hinge joint damage on the overall load-bearing performance of bridges cannot be understated. In this study, a 23 × 16 m span hollow slab bridge was selected as the engineering background, and a rigorous load test methodology was employed to assess the condition of the hinge joints by analyzing the lateral load distribution coefficient. The evaluation analysis revealed a substantial deviation from the theoretical value of 1, with measured lateral load distribution coefficients ranging from 0.013 to 1.659 before reinforcement, indicating poor lateral connection, severe hinge joint degradation, and inadequate overall lateral stiffness of the bridge. To address these issues and enhance the overall lateral load-bearing capacity of the hollow slab beams, a novel hinge joint reinforcement method utilizing steel strip–tie rod clamping is proposed. The efficacy of this method was validated by comparing the measured lateral load distribution coefficients before and after reinforcement with the corresponding theoretical values. Numerical comparison and meticulous analysis demonstrated a promising improvement, with post-reinforcement ratios of the measured lateral load distribution coefficients ranging from 0.950 to 1.122, closely approaching the theoretical value of 1. These findings unequivocally illustrate the significant enhancement achieved in the lateral force coordination performance of the slab beams, thereby affirming the positive reinforcement effect.